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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · snap · march · capital · rash · pound · safe · hand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rash — a series
  12. snap — to click
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ground — a position
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com